All Forum Posts by: Brian Backus

Cable company, used car sales people, Landlords - all necessary evils in the eyes of some.  Other times you find a tenant that isn't in the position to buy a place and understands the value a landlord is bringing to their life.  

This week we started the process of filling one of my units (the unit I've personally been living in for the last 4 years as I house hacked).  It has been a bittersweet moment to be moving out of my first property.  The time has come to stretch our horizons as we move to a different state to grow our portfolio (Chicago, IL to Grand Rapids, MI). 

We haven't had to try and fill a unit since the start of COVID so I had some concerns about how that process would go.  The last unit took much longer to fill than we had hoped. This time, we made sure to price my unit right, build the interest, and show to as many people as needed.  

We were fortunate enough to have multiple people schedule to visit the unit and quickly had people interested in applying.  One person in particular stuck out during the process and her application came back with no issues.  

When we delivered the news that she had been accepted we received that attached response.

I'd be lying to you if I said the cashflow isn't one of the true reasons why I got into real estate, but that feeling of changing someone's life and getting them a roof over their head is a pretty darn good feeling too.

This type of response motivates me to continue to be a good landlord, build our reputation in a positive light, and continue to provide people with the housing they need.  I hope you too are able to build our profession in a positive manner and can appreciate the opportunity you have to change peoples lives.

Brian

Hey @Jonathan Thrasher, how is this flip going? I've been following this thread for awhile and I was curious if you had any updates.  

@John Mathewson - Thanks for stopping by to say hello.  I've heard good things about the market in Northwest Indiana. I hope to connect in the near future!

@Ned Carey - Thanks for stopping by, Ned.  That may be the thing I've heard the most over my time on BiggerPockets.  It's time to evaluate deals!

@Mark Nolan - Nice to meet you, Mark.  Thanks for saying hi!

@Chris Titcomb - Thanks for introducing yourself, Chris.  I appreciate you stopping by and making yourself available for any questions I may have! 

@Donnersson Penna - I look forward to connecting in the future, Donnersson.  Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!

@Jill DeWit Thank you very much for taking the time to stop by and say hello, Jill! Much appreciated.

 @Account Closed - Hello, Ahmed. I appreciate you stopping by and introducing me to @Ashour Rehana! I'm already quickly learning how easy it is to meet other real estate investor's in the area.  I look forward to what the future has to hold.

Hello,

My name is Brian Backus.  I have been a member on BiggerPockets for just over a year.  I have been extremely inactive in looking for and evaluating deals.  

I just turned 28 and I have been evaluating the last year of my life and the goals I achieved.  Currently, I am kicking myself for an inactive year of real estate investing and wasting a year of finding potential deals.  

Moving forward I intend to take the following steps:

• Become a PRO member 
• Find a RE agent that can get me on an MLS for multifamily units
• Begin evaluating deals and sharing the numbers I find to ensure I'm heading down the right path.

I look forward to connecting with many of the members on BiggerPockets!

Brian Backus